Match-safe.



J. BECKER.

MATCH SAFE.

APPLICATION FILED n:c.24,1s1o.

1 ,1 90,2 1 3. Patented July 4, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W'tn S68 6,8 fi .9 Inventor [fig Egan fl J. BECKER.

MATCH SAFE.

APPLICATION FILED 050.24. 1910.

Patented July 4, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

. l '7 119. 10 By 11 I I2 mentor m 4 aw JOSEPH BECKER, F VIASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

MATCH-SAFE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 4, 1916.

Continuation of application Serial No. 532,640, filed December 11, 1909. This application filed December 24, 1910. Serial No. 599,070.

T 0 all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, JOSEPH BECKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented a new and useful Match-Safe, of which the following is a specification.

The present application relates to an improved form of the match safe first disclosed in my earlier and herein merged application, Serial No. 532,6 l0, filed December 11,

The present invention consists in a. highly improved form I of match safe which is adapted to serve equally well in two entirely different capacities, to wit: first, as an improved form of table safe; secondly, as an improved form of wall safe.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is an isometric perspective of a preferred wall and table form of my safe, and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3, Fig. 2. Figs. 4 and 5 are sections of the safe in use as a wall safe, Fig.4 being taken on line i, Fig. 5, and Fig. 5 on line 5, Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a section-on line 6, 6, Fig. 5, to illustrate the principles on which the hanging notch is constructed. Fig. 7 is a section similar to Fig. 3, but showing the safe-of Figs. 1 to 6 without the hanging notch as a table safe. Fig. 8 is another section similar to Fig. 3 of a modified form, and Fig. 9 is a section on line 9 of Fig. 8. Figs. 10 to 13 illustrate the mechanical principles involved in the :1. action of the holding notch with different sizes and styles of fasteners. I

The wall and table safe, Figs. 1 to 6, is preferably made of brass or other metal by casting.

It comprises as main elements a live match receptacle 81 connected to a dead match chamber 82, such chambers being arranged with their bottoms substantially at the same level and formed with tapering walls, as best seen in Fig. 3, to secure the draw required in molding.

The end walls of the chamber82 have re cesses 83, 8%, Fig. 2, and the bottom of the same chamber 82 is cut out almost entirely, leaving only enough at either end to form retaining ledges 86, 87.

The dead match chamber 82 is preferably made so as to provide a tight fit in width, to which there is no objection, as the match sheath can easily be forced out by pressure from below. An extra wide sheath can be inserted in such opening with perfect ease by crushing it lightly at opposite corners to change its shape in end view from a rectangle to a parallelogram (as indicated in Fig. 7) which is easily dropped all the way in, one long edge of the scratch face remain ing higher than the other. A slight pressure exerted on this higher edge will reexpand the sheath in width, causing it to clamp itself in the chamber by a sort of toggle action. The scratch face is thus more firmly connected to the safe, which is an advantage.

The natural way of making a wall safe embodying the main principles of my invention would be to arrange the dead and live match compartments one above the other on the same wall board held to the wall by two nails or other fasteners, generally set close to the upper edge of the board.

The arrangement of dead and live match compartments side by side, however, proves .best for the table form of safe'and it was, therefore, necessary to devisea special mode of fastening that would necessitate the same arrangement as best for the wall form, and I have succeeded in doingthis without in any way modifying the general outline of the table form. The special fastening means consists in a wedge-shaped aperture 88 which is formed in the rear wall of the safe in such manner as to converge both upwardly and rearwardly and the taper is made such as to: (1) adapt itself automatically to almost any size and shape of fastoner; (2) secure a higher point of engage- 1 ment for small andweak fasteners thanfor larger ones, which is desirable, as will appear later on; and. (3) draw the safe up against the wall so firmly that a single nail or screw of any shape will be sulficient to hold the safe even against any swinging tendency. about the nail or screw axis as a pivot. I

The true inclination of the taper walls to the back face of the .safe is seen at the left, Fig. 6, where the'section plane crosses the arris of the dihedral angle at right angles, and it should be about sixty degrees,

as indicated in Fig. 6, so as to exceed the bevel commonly used on screw heads. Any screw '89 driven in, up or close to the point where its head begins will answer. By pressing firmly, in a downward direction the back wall of the safe will then be firmly wedged in under the screw and held snugly up against the Wall, effectively preventing any sluing of the safe when a match is struck or rubbed on the scratch sheath A. Any pressure on the scratch sheath simply presses the safe more firmly against the wall at its lower edge 90 and the weight of the safe by acting at a great distance from the same lower edge has a similar effect. As the safe would naturally pivot about its lower edge 90 under its own weight and other pressures apt to be exerted on the safe while using it, it will be seen that the strength of the retaining fastener should be proportional to its closeness to said lower edge 90, and this is what occurs and is secured automatically, for a small fastener will move farther up into the notch than a large one. This is illustrated in Figs. 12 and 13 where 91 in Fig. 12 is a large fastener and 92 in Fig. 13 is a small fastener, both being at the same height or level while the safes held thereby are at different levels.

When the fastener is a round headed screw or nail the engagement occurs as illustrated in Fig. 10, and when the fastener is an Lshaped nail hook, Fig. 11, the engagement takes place at the extreme end of the hook, so that almost any form of fastener may be used.

The flared aperture 88 of Figs. 2 to 5 may be extended to the bottom of the safe, as

in Figs. 8 and 9, to permit of hanging the safe by placing it well above the fastener fiat against the wall and then sliding it downwardly into close engagement. A simple upward sliding movement is then suflicient to unhang or take down the safe. This safe (of Figs. 8 and 9) has, furthermore, a short foot 102, the object of which is to throw weight onto the two rear feet 103, 10 i (Fig. 9) and thus surely secure a proper distribution of frictional resistances to 0p pose sluing or spinning of the safe when a match is rubbed along on the scratch surface. A safe with perfectly flat bottom may accidentally be supported almost entirely at one point under the center of gravity and when this occurs the safe will easily slue around when a match is struck. The tripod arrangement of Figs. 8, 9 effectively avoids any such possibility.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. As an article of manufacture, a match safe for safety matches having a substantially rectangular chamber with its side and end walls vertical, and open at the top to receive and hold the scratch sheath of a safety match box so that one of the scratch faces of such sheath shall be held exposed in horizontal position parallel to the open end of such chamber, the length and width of such chamber being each just sufficiently large to admit the scratch sheath in such horizontal position and the depth of such chamber being substantially equal to the distance between the opposite scratch faces of the said scratch sheath in order that the scratch face that is exposed to be rubbed on shall be directly held against longitudinal displacement by forces reacting substan tially in its own plane.

2. As an article of manufacture, a match safe for safety matches having a chamber adapted to receive and hold the scratch sheath of a safety match box with one of its scratch faces exposed in horizontal position as a stopper to such chamber; the length and width of the rectangular chamber inlet thus obturated corresponding respectively to the length and width of such scratch face; and the depth of such chamber being approximately equal to the distance between the opposite scratch faces of the sheath; one end wall of such chamber being provided with a passage leading into the inside of the scratch sheath.

3. As an article-0f manufacture, a match safe for safety matches having a chamber adapted to receive and hold the scratch sheath of a safety match box with one of its scratch faces exposed in horizontal position as a stopper to such chamber; the length and width of the rectangular chamber inlet thus obturated corresponding respectively to the length and width of such scratch face; and the depth of such chamber being approximately equal to the distance between the opposite scratch faces of the sheath; one end wall of such chamber being provided with a passage leading into the inside of the scratch sheath; and the opposite end wall being provided with a similar passage situated at the same level as the first to avoid chimney efi ect or draft.

4:. As an article of manufacture, a combined wall and table match safe for safety matches comprising a chamber adapted to receive and hold the scratch sheath of a safety match box with one of its scratch faces exposed in horizontal position as a stopper to such chamber, the length and width of the chamber opening so obturated corresponding respectively to the length and width of such scratch face and the depth of such chamber being approximately equal to the distance between the opposite scratch faces of the sheath; one end wall of such chamber being provided with a passage leading into the inside of the scratch sheath held in such chamber; and the opposite end wall being provided with a similar passage situated at the same level as the first; such safe being further provided with a chamber specially adapted to receive and hold live matches; the said scratch sheath and live match receiving chambers being of equal length and arranged adjacent to each other to constitute a table safe; the rear substantially vertical face of the safe being prolarged head of a fastener driven into a wall to firmly draw the safe against such wall by wedging action and hold the scratch face of an inserted sheath as closely as possible to the point of support so that the table safe may be used equally well as a wall safe.

5. As an article of manufacture, a safe for holding matches and the like, having one side face adapted to bear against a wall,

said side face being provided with an inwardly and downwardly flared opening adapted to engage the enlarged end of a nail or other fastener driven into the said wall 7 to wedge itself in between the head of such fastener and the wall without engaging the reduced or shank part of such fastener whereby one single and almost wholly driven fastener of any desired size is adapted to prevent any sluing of the safe on the wall.

In testimony whereof, 'I have signed my I name to this specification in the presence of two subscrlblng wltnesses. I

JOSEPH BECKER.

V lVitnesses:

MARY E. LOWELL, A. D. AMMEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner or retents. Washington, D. G. 

